Things have changed

A worried man with a worried mind
No one in front of me and nothing behind
There’s a woman on my lap and she’s drinking champagne.

I may have posted this video before, but its my blog and I can do pretty much what I want.  The song is by the greatest songwriter of our time, maybe of all time.  A fact that will become more evident as decades pass.

"Things Have Changed"  serves as the theme song of a 2000 move named Wonder Boys, in which Michael Douglas plays the role of a pot smoking English professor at a Pennsylvania  university who is getting divorced, having an affair and mentoring a talented young creative writing student. He is trying to publish a new book and his gay editor, played by Robert Downey Jr., comes to campus and develops a crush on the young writing student.  In other words, a classic love story.

Standing on the gallows with my head in a noose
Any minute now I’m expecting all hell to break loose.

There is something in both the movie and this song that resonates with me.  Maybe its getting older and realizing that each new experience, relationship, heartbreak and triumph carries the potential to be the last one.  Does that mean everything matters just a little bit more, or does it mean everything matters just a little bit less?

People are crazy and times are strange
I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range
I used to care, but things have changed.

I listened to the song intently last night, on a quiet ride home after a wonderful dinner in Old Town Scottsdale.  As many times as I have heard Dylan sing this, I heard it last night for the first time. That makes it a worthy and eloquent poetic four minutes and fifty seven seconds for yet another passing Sunday.


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